Douglas Howard Sills (born July 5, 1960) is an American actor.
Early life
Sills was born in
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
, the son of Rhoda (Nemeth) and Archie Sills, and grew up in the suburb of
Franklin, in a Jewish household. He was friends (and did amateur theatrics and films) with both
Sam Raimi and
Bruce Campbell.
[ Sills attended Cranbrook School, from which he graduated in 1978, and the ]University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
where he majored in music. He then continued his education at the American Conservatory Theater in California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
Career
During the 1990s, Sills built a solid reputation as a stage character actor, especially in the professional theaters of southern California. He also performed in several national tours, including ''Into the Woods
''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.
The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...
'' and ''The Secret Garden
''The Secret Garden'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in '' The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is one of Burnett's most popular novels an ...
'', which would also feature future Broadway stars as James Stacy Barbour and Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
. He met his partner, Todd, in 1994 while touring with ''The Secret Garden''. His first Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
role, however, came when composer Frank Wildhorn
Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...
and lyricist Nan Knighton
Nan Knighton is an American poet, playwright and lyricist.
Biography
Knighton is the daughter of physician Dr. Donald Proctor and artist Janice Proctor. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she is a 1965 graduate of Bryn Mawr School, with an unde ...
approached him in hopes of finding a male lead for their new musical, ''The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
''. Before this audition, Sills told his agent not to send him to any more auditions because he planned to attend law school. With a score in the 99th percentile on the Law School Admission Test
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT; ) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for prospective law school candidates. It is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal r ...
(LSAT), Sills hoped to attend Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School (Stanford Law or SLS) is the law school of Stanford University, a private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, it is regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world. Stanford La ...
. However, being a fan of the movie as a child, Sills decided to give acting one more chance and was offered the lead as Sir Percy Blakeney.
Douglas Sills opened in his first Broadway show on November 9, 1997. Continuing the role in three other versions of the show, Sills received a Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
nomination. He portrayed the foppish hero in SP 1.0 (The Original Broadway Production, starring Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann (born July 1, 1951) is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is best known for his appearances on the Broadway stage, which include Chester Lyman in '' Barnum'', Rum Tum Tugger in ''Cats'', Javert in '' Les ...
, Christine Andreas
Christine Andreas (born October 1, 1951) is an American Broadway actress and singer.
Biography
Andreas was born in Camden, New Jersey, to James Francis Andreas, a systems analyst, and Teresa Cecilia Genovese Andreas. She graduated from Suffern ...
& Gilles Chiason), SP 2.0 (Revised Broadway Production, starring Rachel York
Rachel York (born August 7, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles in '' City of Angels'', ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Victor/Victoria'', ''Kiss Me, Kate'', ''Sly Fox'', '' Dirty Rotten Scound ...
& Rex Smith), and for several months in the National Tour (4.0). Although rumored as the title role of Wildhorn's ''Dracula, the Musical
''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla Pl ...
'', Sills opted out (despite doing a recording demo), and Tom Hewitt portrayed the gothic character at the premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.
History
La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...
in 2001. He played Orin Scrivello and several other roles in the 2003 Broadway revival cast of '' Little Shop of Horrors''.
In 2004, Sills joined the Broadway-bound Chicago production of Monty Python's ''Spamalot
''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''.
Like the motion pictu ...
''. However, before the production began, Sills left on his own account due to reported "major script changes." In early 2005, production plans were announced for Wildhorn's new musical ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', from the same team that helped launch his career with ''The Scarlet Pimpernel''. The title role was written specifically for Sills, however, producers dropped plans for the show in spring 2006 without explanation. A studio-concept recording was planned, starring Sills, Linda Eder
Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...
and Rob Evan, but plans also quickly fell through.
In 2009, Sills starred opposite at the Encores! New York City Center
New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...
production of ''Music in the Air
''Music in the Air'' is a musical written by Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and book) and Jerome Kern (music). It introduced songs such as "The Song Is You", "In Egern on the Tegern See" and " I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". The musical premiered on ...
'', a long-forgotten Kern-Hamerstein musical from the 1930s. The concert-style version ran February 5 through February 8. Sills assumed the role of Gomez Addams
Gomez Addams is the patriarch of the fictional Addams Family, created by cartoonist Charles Addams for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1940s, and subsequently portrayed on television, in film and on the stage.
Cartoons
In Charles Addams's orig ...
in the national tour of ''The Addams Family
''The Addams Family'' is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 unrelated single-panel cartoons, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' over ...
'' in September 2011 until the company's closing on December 30, 2012.
From March 27 to April 12, 2013, Sills took on the role of Jack in Long Wharf Theatre's production of William Mastrosimone's ''Ride the Tiger''.
Sills played Walter Burns in La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.
History
La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...
's production of ''His Girl Friday
''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper edito ...
'' from May 28 to June 30, 2013.
Sills appeared on Broadway beginning in April 2015, playing an aging orchestra conductor in the comedy ''Living on Love'', written by Joe DiPietro, starring Renee Fleming, Jerry O'Connell
Jerry O'Connell (born February 17, 1974) is an American actor and television host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series '' Sliders'', Andrew Clements in ''My Secret Identity'', Vern Tessio in the film '' Stand by ...
and Anna Chlumsky.
He appeared in the new musical '' Dave'' at the Arena Stage
Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...
in Washington, D.C. in 2018, in the role of Chief of Staff Bob Alexander. The musical has music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and the book by Benjamin and Thomas Meehan and is based on the 1993 film '' Dave''.
Beginning in 2022, Sills played Monsieur Baudin in HBO’s The Gilded Age.
Notable theatre roles
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sills, Douglas
1960 births
American male musical theatre actors
Male actors from Detroit
Cranbrook Educational Community alumni
Living people
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni
People from Franklin, Michigan
Theatre World Award winners
American Conservatory Theater alumni